As the season of yule once again becomes the season of rules, many people are putting up Christmas decorations to try and lift the general mood.
Mid-December was traditionally the time to deck the halls with boughs of holly but now we are yearning for the twinkly lights earlier than ever. Our fondness for letting our festive spirit soar carries through to some pretty amazing décor and lighting displays all over the country.
Christmas lights range from modest displays to show good cheer to gazillion-bulb light-appaloosas that draw attention from near and far.
Irish lighting experts Solus have some top tips to help your festive display dazzle in the safest and most energy efficient way.
• Safety first - A&E departments were once a refuge for homeowners who lost fights with their Christmas lights, suffered electric shocks or caused fire hazards. To avoid the Christmas black and blues, take extra care over the Christmas period with any festive light displays as our frontline workers are already at full tilt this year.
• Don’t turn on the Christmas lights during the day, it is a waste of energy and electricity and no one can really enjoy looking at the lights during the day.
• Tree lights on - room lights off - when the tree is lit, there is no need to have other lights on. Save energy & enhance the festive atmosphere.
• Use timers - you can buy timers now for electric lights. They simply plug into a socket and then you plug your lights into them and set the timer to come on and off
• Don’t overload - never overload an extension lead by plugging in appliances that together will exceed the maximum current rating stated for the extension lead. This could cause the plug in the wall socket to overheat and possibly cause a fire.6. Never leave lights turned on while unattended. Always turn off the lights before you leave the house and when going to bed.7. Store Christmas lights in a ball. It sounds counterintuitive, but the best way to store lights is to ball them up. Wrap five times in one direction, then turn the ball 90 degrees and repeat. Store your light balls in cardboard boxes, rather than in plastic bags: Cardboard absorbs residual moisture and extends the life of your lights.
